


orange blossoms (written by fantasybiologist)

by artsywrites



Category: Chromasynth
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:35:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25158619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artsywrites/pseuds/artsywrites
Summary: Gabrielle had called up Oojin for a favor, fixing up the florist’s old register. Oojin came after hours and finished fixing it as the sun set, though, where was Gabrielle?
Relationships: Oojin Kim/Gabrielle Eleazar
Kudos: 4





	orange blossoms (written by fantasybiologist)

With a final twist, Oojin screws the last screw into place, the old-timey register finally repaired as the moon shines through the window. With a sigh of relief, Oojin packs away her toolkit and grabs one of the towels nearby to wipe away the grease from her hands, and another to wipe away the sweat from having to brute-force repair the ancient register. 

“Hey Gabs! I finished kicking your money machine!” Oojin yells as she puts the towel around her neck as she walks through the backdoor to the garden. “The thing was a mess, I’m surprised it even lasted this long-”

“Shhh,” a finger is pressed to Oojin’s lips. 

“What-” a hand is slapped on Oojin’s mouth when she tries to bat away the finger. 

“You’re going to scare them away! I want to get a picture for Clover,” Gabrielle softly explains. 

Oojin pries Gabrielle’s hand off her face, disgruntled, and asks, “A picture of what- oh.”

A few fluffy bats with orange-brown fur nip at the moths near the lights stringed throughout the back garden, high-pitched  _ chiiirp _ s echoing through the air. Oojin noticed that Gabrielle’s left hand was poised to snap a photo of the bats with her phone, and the other was still in Oojin’s hand…

It was let go of. 

“Aren’t they adorable? Ohhh, OJ I wonder if they’ll come back? Goodness, I’d hope so,” Gabrielle coos with an adorable bounce. “I wonder if they’re fruit bats…”

“Yeah and maybe your dad’s fruit trees will finally grow,” Oojin quips. 

“Don’t be rude!” Gabrielle admonishes. “That’s insulting to the trees!”

Oojin lets out a snicker at that as Gabrielle goes back to getting a clear shot of the bats with a satisfied grin, and an agreement to a comfortable silence. 

A hand braces on a shoulder, and a whispered, “Why do you think they’re here?” brushes against her ear as the other watches the bats. It’s enough to make her fumble clicking the camera button as she was about to get a good shot, raising a few goosebumps at the breath. 

“Oh, ah, maybe they’re migrating? Do bats migrate?” Gabrielle fumbles as she tries to steady her hands. 

Oojin, falling back on her heels, (oh my God, she was on her toes) responds with an indifferent hum, warm hand still on Gabrielle’s shoulder. 

As Gabrielle tries to focus on taking a few half decent pictures of the bats while very much flustered and with her focus split, Oojin begins to zone out watching the bats and listening to the chirps of crickets. The sticky sweet heat of summer lingering on her skin, uncomfortable in comparison to the air conditioning she’s used to. Outdoor air also smelled different, less sterile and musty, more sunshine and flowers. Actually, it smelled like…

“Oranges?” Oojin says, snapping herself and Gabrielle out of their collective reverie, with a sharp intake of breath from Gabrielle. 

“Goodness OJ, you spooked me!” 

“Yeah, why does it smell like oranges?”

“Oranges…? Oh! It’s uhm, one second OJ! I need to, ah, get something!” Gabrielle stammered, tripping over spare garden supplies to an alcove with a workshop table behind some bushes acting as a partition. 

Oojin’s left behind standing on the patio, wondering about the smell of oranges. It was… almost alcoholic in scent? No, wait, it smelled like perfume, that’s it. Now the real question here is  _ why _ did it smell like orange perfume? … Did Gabrielle-

“Sorry about that Oojin!” Gabrielle says, fighting past the debris, effectively cutting off Oojin’s train of thought. “I almost forgot, what with the bats and all!”

A little dazed after coming back from zoning out and thinking, Oojin says, “Uh, forgot what, Gabs?”

“Your payment! Now c’mon, I want to show you something before you go!” Gabrielle says, grabbing Oojin’s arm and tugging her deeper into the veritable jungle of a storage garden. “We just got a shipment of some Florida oranges! We have to keep them in the greenhouse since they’re still blooming, but I really wanted to show you some!”

“‘Kay, but why are we walking away from the greenhouse?”

“Because I need to give you my present first! You need a housewarming gift, don’t you? Your cousins certainly appreciated it!”

“My cousins…? Oh,” Realization. “Be glad you’re my friend, or I would have to fight you for my honor back or some shit.”

“Oh? I didn’t know humble oranges had honor,” Gabrielle teases with a giggle. Oojin was about to shoot back a retort, but Gabrielle stops nearby a bench covered in vines and a handful of terra-cotta shards too stubborn to be pulled from the vines. It’s built in front of a small pond surrounded by river-worn rocks and flowering trees, creating a scenic locale. 

Gabrielle leads Oojin to take a seat on the bench, the two knee-to-knee to account for how crowded the bench is. Oojin’s eyebrows raise as she spots the small bag wrapped up in twine in Gabrielle’s hand. “Didn’t know it was my birthday today, surprise party again?”

Pouting, Gabrielle shoots back. 

“As if! I don’t do parties halfway, unlike someone I know,” Gabrielle pointedly says to Oojin. 

“Hey! I take offense to that, you know. So what’s the bag for then? I said you didn’t have to pay me for shit,” Oojin says. 

“It’s not really payment per say, it’s more of uh,” Gabrielle can  _ feel _ the blood rushing to her ears. She’s praying that Oojin doesn’t notice that or the fidgeting. “Uh, a thank-you tip.”

“For what?” she says, head tilting adorably with the cutest furrowed brow Gabrielle has ever seen on someone.  _ Ohhh goodness I want to kiss her forehead. This is not good for my heart.  _

With an aggressive blink, Gabrielle refocuses, “Is it a crime to give gifts to people you like?” 

_ What _ . Oojin’s mind is now swarmed with all the little romantic.  _ Things _ . Gabrielle’s done, and Oojin’s jumping to conclusions. 

_ Do you mean, romantically? _ , is what a smoother person more confident in their feelings would say. 

“Oh my god, really Gabs? I thought you only gave me things because you wanted money out of me,” is what a coward who deflects with humor says instead. 

“Pffff, shut up! You know what I mean! And here,” Gabrielle somehow shifts closer to Oojin on the bench, “Let me put these on for you.”

“Can I ask what they are?” Oojin says to distract from how close Gabrielle is and how her arms are caging her in. In a comfortable, buried-in-blankets sort of way. 

“Hm, you can, but I won’t give answers!”

“Typical.”

++❀❀❀++

“Aaand, there!” Gabrielle pops back out of Oojin’s personal space with an excited flourish. “Oh good, they fit.”

“They what? You better not be fucking with me Gabs,” Oojin says, touching her head. 

“I would never!”

“Eeehhh.”

“Either way, look! Aren’t you adorable?” Gabrielle says pulling up her phone camera towards Oojin in a makeshift mirror. 

Oojin has to admit her handiwork was nice. Her hair buns had a pastel rainbow of small flowers connected by stems, a few four-petaled white flowers decorating the front, and a ruffly red one in the back. A few of the white ones were tucked into her hair, smelling of oranges. 

“Oh hey! You didn’t pull a prank on me! You broke your track record you know.”

“Oh shush, so what do you think?” Gabrielle nervously says. 

“You did good Gabs,” Oojin concedes. “What flowers did you use by the way?”

Oh, goodness the anxiety’s back. “Well, the small, colorful ones are freesias, the ones that look like roses. The big red ones are gardenias, and the four-petal ones are some of the orange blossoms,” Gabrielle almost-mumbled. 

“Hm. Well, they’re pretty and that’s what matters,” Oojin states matter of factly. “So, did you bring me out here just for the flower crowns or…”

“Oh! Yes, I want you to try these out,” Gabrielle says, grabbing another bag from a pocket in her skirt. “It’s orange blossom tea! It’s supposed to help you sleep better.”

“Nice to know you’re concerned about my health Gabs,” Oojin snarks.

With an exasperated, but a little fond, look, Gabrielle says, “Of course I am OJ. You’re my best friend. Now, I hope you can say the same for me.”

“Yeah, promise you Gabs,” Oojin murmured. The soft din of night settles between the words, Gabrielle staring at their hands and how her’s is thumbing Oojin’s knuckles. Neither of them want to pull away, the peaceful quiet and togetherness being a little too appealing to let go of. 

++❀❀❀++

Ten minutes later, when the sun has truly set and the fireflies start to dance do the two girls break away. 

Gabrielle breaks the soft hand holding by squinting at Oojin’s cheek. 

“What? Did you suddenly realize how beautiful I am?”

“No, you still have an oil stain on your cheek.”

“Oh shit,” Oojin touches her cheek and her fingers come up black. “How did we not notice this.”

“I don’t know, but here, let me help,” Gabrielle says, grabbing the towel around Oojin’s neck and dipping it in the pond. 

“Isn’t that dirty-”

Oojin’s thoughts are once again interrupted, albeit with closeness, as Gabrielle lifts Oojin’s chin up to steady her face as she gingerly wipes away the stain. The drag of the fluffy towel almost feels rough with the cold water and the feather-light touches, though Oojin can’t really find it in herself to joke or complain. 

“There,” Gabrielle says with a smile that crinkles her eyes. “All better now.”

“Uhhh,” Oojin smartly says. “Ahem, thank you. But, it still kinda hurts, can you kiss it better?”

_ My God.  _ “Fuck, sorry, uhhh, didn’t you want to show me something else?” Gabrielle wasn’t quite sure what warranted that reaction and then realized she must’ve looked mortified. Which is accurate to the current state of her headspace, but not in the way that Oojin thinks. 

Seeing the opportunity Oojin so graciously offered up, Gabrielle swiftly changes the subject. 

“Ah, uhm, yes! I wanted to show you the greenhouse! Because of the orange blossoms! You’ve already seen it before and-”

“You’re rambling Gabs.”

“Oh, uh, thank you OJ. But, yes, I do want to show you the greenhouse.”

“Cool, let’s head over.”

++❀❀❀++

“You’re fine OJ.”

“What?”

“What you said about a kiss was… you don’t have to apologize for it.”

“Huh. Uh, good.”

++❀❀❀++

As Gabrielle opened the door, a wave of humid heat blasted the two in the face, the smell of rain and wet detritus heavy in the hot air. 

“Whoof, forgot how hot the greenhouse is.”

“Well, better minimize the time in here then.”

Gabrielle waded her way through the overgrown ferns through the paths to the left side of the greenhouse, where the orange saplings could get the most sun, Oojin trudging behind. 

“Hurry up OJ! Didn’t you say that you walked fastest?” Gabrielle mock-yelled. 

“Yeah! But that was on even terrain! A floor covered in plants doesn’t count!” Oojin retorts. 

“I think it does, heehee.”

“Uggghhh.”

Eventually, after suffering the brunt of Gabrielle’s mocking, Oojin finally makes it over to the small grove of oranges in sturdy pots. 

“Huff, what’s so special about these guys?” Oojin asks. 

“Nothing, to be honest,” Gabrielle says bluntly. 

“WHAT?? What’d you drag me here for?”

“Because they’re still pretty, and I still like them even if they aren’t something special,” Gabrielle says nonchalantly. 

“That’s. That’s a little bullshit Gabs, you and me know it.”

“Well who cares? You and I should know that liking something is going to be arbitrary no matter what.”

“... guess so.”

The resigned look on Oojin is one Gabrielle’s been seeing more often. 

She averts her eyes. 

She picks one of the bigger blooms on a tree and appraises it with reverence. In reality, she’s treating it as if it’s the answer to all of her problems. 

Either way, it’s a security blanket before being thrown off and into the cold, cold world. 

Bracing herself, she says, “Hey Oojin?”

“Yeah?” A swift peck to the cheek was delivered. All the words seem to fall out of her mouth. 

A flower was tucked behind her ear. 

A bashful grin and those same hands tucking her own hair behind her own ear. 

“Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> ❀ freesias - multicolored freesia bouquets symbolize friendship and thoughtfulness
> 
> ❀ red gardenias - symbolizes the secret love between two people
> 
> ❀ orange blossoms - commonly used as a wedding flower on brides


End file.
